Sick Daze
by Emerald Lotus
Summary: An ailment plagues one of the brothers. At first it appears as a simple sickness. Yet it quickly manifests, and the symptoms get progressively worse. A race against time ensues. A cure must be forged before it will be completely ineffective, and the brothers could lose one of their own.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning to readers: There is mention, and brief descriptions of vomiting in this chapter.**

* * *

Usually mornings in the subterranean home of the turtles were fairly routine. Weekdays it was wake up, make breakfast, and then go to the dojo to train with Master Splinter. April, upon learning about their schedules, had accounted it to being like their version of school, since it's something they've done practically every day since they were little kids. Every once in a while though there was a hiccup to their schedule.

Leonardo had just woke up, despite being out late during the night, he beat his alarm and effectively shut it off before it could starting beeping. There was something in the air that just didn't feel right, it was a cold tingle at the back of his neck, and it had him on edge. He tied his mask on, smoothed out the covers on his bed, and headed towards the bathroom.

He was always the first one up, so it was definitely a shock to Leo when he turned on the lights and found out that he was not the only one in the bathroom. Leo's heart jumped into his throat when he saw Mikey slumped against the bathtub, appearing to be asleep.

Quickly Leo bent down next to his brother to make sure he was still breathing. After reassuring himself that Mikey's pulse was perfectly fine, he attempted to wake up his brother.

"Mikey, wake up," Leo tapped his cheek softly to rouse him. "Come on, Mikey. This is not a good place to rest, get up!"

Mikey groaned, and slowly opened his eyes. Leo could see the dark bags that had formed under his eyes from not getting enough rest, which only worried him more.

"What?" Mikey asked. He didn't seem to be fully awake yet. He blinked a few times like it was a struggle just to keep his eyes open. "Oh…Leo? What's wrong?"

"I think that's for me to ask. Why did I find you asleep on the floor?"

Mikey glanced briefly around the room, just then realizing where he was. "Um, I got sick during the night." He straightened himself up against the tub. Wincing a bit when he could feel the kink in his neck from the awkward position he had been in for so long. "Dinner, lunch, and breakfast demanded to sacrificed to the porcelain god, bro. It was more brutal than that beat down we gave the Purple Dragons."

"You were throwing up all night? Why didn't you call for someone?" If Leo had known he was sick he could have helped him. If anything made sure he didn't sleep on the cement floor of the bathroom.

"I was a bit distracted," Mikey grimaced. "I still don't feel right…uh-oh."

Mikey's face instantly paled. He scrambled over to the toilet as quickly as his weary body could move. He dry heaved for a few moments, Leo did his best to comfort Mikey until he was finished. When he was done, he pulled Mikey slowly away without jarring him too much.

"What's going on?" Leo turned to see Raph standing in the doorway of the bathroom, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Michelangelo's sick," Leo stated.

Raph sobered up as he took a better look at his little brother on the floor. He looked utterly wiped out. "What can I do to help?"

"I guess tell Master Splinter and Donnie, or help take him back to bed."

"Bed sounds good," Mikey murmured. He kept his eyes closed as he spoke. "But I don't know if I can move. My stomach feels like it's doing skate tricks on a half-pipe."

"I'll help you up. Just tell me when you're ready to move," Leo said softly.

"If you got him, then I'll go get the others," Raph turned on his heel, and moved towards Donnie's room.

Mikey took a few deep, calming breaths before he spoke again. "Okay, I think I'm good to go. Just no sudden moves, the room is already spinning."

"All right," Leo placed Mikey's arm around his shoulders, and then his other arm snaked around his waist to gain leverage. He hoisted Mikey slowly off the cold floor, taking on most of his weight. After Leo was sure Mikey was going to be steady enough to move on he started for the door.

As Leo walked out of the bathroom he could feel Mikey trembling in his arms. Whether it was from the stress of moving while being so nauseated, or because he was obviously running a fever, Leo wasn't sure. Before turning into Mikey's room, he spotted Donnie in the hall with his medical kit.

"Hey Don, grab a bucket too just in case," Leo called down to him.

"Got it," he heard Donnie respond as he entered Mikey's room.

Mikey was shaking a lot harder when Leo placed him into bed. He was still very pale as Leo propped him up a bit on some pillows.

"Am I in bed?" Mikey asked. He had his eyes closed the entire time Leo was moving him.

"Yeah," Leo answered just as the rest of their family started to spill into the room. Leo backed up to let Master Splinter and Donnie get closer to Michelangelo.

"Hey there, buddy," Donnie said softly. "You just didn't feel like starting this day like normal, did you?"

Mikey's lips twitched up at the edges in a brief smile. "You know I like to mix things up a bit."

Master Splinter stepped forward taking Mikey's pulse, and placing his hand against his cheek to judge his temperature. "Michelangelo, how long have you been feeling ill?"

"I was fine before I went to bed," He said slowly, looking up at Donnie and Master Splinter as he spoke. "But I woke up…I think the clock said three something, and ran to the bathroom."

Donnie started shuffling through his medical kit and pulled out a thermometer. Unlike normal turtles, which were cold-blooded, Donnie and his brothers were warm blooded. Only their temperatures tended to run a little lower than humans, sitting around ninety-six degrees Fahrenheit.

"Open your mouth," Donnie instructed. Mikey obeyed, and Donnie gave him the thermometer. "Don't bite down, and wait for it to beep again."

Mikey nodded and leaned back into his pillows. He didn't get sick very often. None of them did really, so to be violently ill was sort of a new experience for him.

The thermometer beeped, jarring Mikey slightly since he had started to drift off. Donnie retrieved it and furrowed his brow at the results. "Hm…99.5. That's fairly high for us. You should take some ibuprofen, it will help reduce the fever. I'll give you some nausea medicine too."

"Raphael, would you bring a glass of water in from the kitchen?" Master Splinter asked.

"Hai Sensei," Raph said and ran out of the room.

Mikey shifted in bed, still shivering despite having two thick blankets over him. Master Splinter patted his hand in an attempt to comfort him.

Raphael returned a moment later with the cup of water in his hand. "Here ya go," he handed the drink over to Donnie.

"Mikey, you can sleep as soon as you take this medicine," Donnie said, rousing his ill brother once more.

With shaky hands, Mikey reached out and took the pills from Donnie. He popped them into his mouth and reached for water, taking a small sip to wash down the medicine.

"Are we done?" Mikey asked sounding completely exhausted.

Donnie nodded, though Mikey had closed his eyes. "For now. I'll be checking in on you though."

"Great," Mikey mumbled and finally settled back into his pillows. In a matter of minutes, his breathing evened out, showing he was deeply asleep.

The family retreated to the hall, leaving the door to his room open in case they were needed.

"Do you think we should be concerned about this Donatello?" Master Splinter inquired. Although he was able to manage simple sicknesses, Donatello had, over time, acquired quite a vast knowledge in medicine and how best to treat his brothers should they wind up ill.

"Hopefully not," Donnie answered. "I'm not going to ignore it, but it could just be a bout of food poisoning or a small stomach bug. You know Mikey likes to, uh, experiment with his food sometimes. I'll monitor him, and see how he progresses."

"That sounds reasonable," Splinter placed a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "If anything should come up, let me know."

"Of course, Sensei."

"I am going to the dojo. You three are dismissed from practice today," he said to them. "Thank you for looking after your brother," Splinter smiled at them, and retreated toward the living room.

Raph was watching Mikey sleep from the doorway. Mikey looked relaxed enough for the moment, but a worried expression was still firmly planted on Raph's features. He turned to Leo, "Does something about this seem…I dunno, off to you?"

"I woke up with that feeling this morning," Leo said.

It worried them all so much more than they would like to admit. Mikey was perfectly fine when they went to sleep, and they had pretty much all had the same meals during the previous day. They had gone out for a nightly patrol, and the only significant event was a small skirmish with a few Purple Dragon punks. Still none of it would lead them to illness, and the mystery behind it is what bothered them.

"I think Sensei could sense there was something wrong too, but didn't want to worry us," Leo added.

"It's the fever," Donnie walked past them and back to Mikey's side. He put a hand gently on Mikey's forehead. "Normally, not associated with food poisoning or rarely with a twenty-four hour bug. I'm going to have to think this one over more."

The three brothers stood watch over their youngest for a while longer. They could only hope that their feelings about Mikey were wrong. Unfortunately, for them luck was seldom in their favor.

* * *

_First chapter in what should be a five to six chapter story. I don't know why I like to pick on Mikey so much, but I do. He's my favorite, and therefore my victim apparently. _

_Feedback is always appreciated. Also the title and summary may not be permanent, and I really hope they don't sound too cliche. I sat at my laptop for almost two hours trying to think of something. I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter!_


	2. Chapter 2

The morning dragged on, and Mikey slept most of it away, well into the afternoon. After watching him sleep for a while just to make sure he was all right for the moment, the brothers decided to move on to other activities to occupy themselves with.

Leo and Raph went to the dojo to practice and spar. Donnie migrated back to his lab, but kept the doors open so he could hear if he was called. The only sounds though were the occasional clash of steel from the dojo, and various instruments beeping in the lab.

So when April entered the lair in the late afternoon she went completely unnoticed. Donnie had texted her during the morning to let her know Michelangelo was sick. While she couldn't visit sooner because of school, she made it a point to come down directly afterwards.

She trotted back to the bedrooms, and quietly made her way into Mikey's room. He was still asleep, but blankets were strewn across the bed, half of them draped down onto the floor. April reached down to pick them up, and covered Mikey again. Her hands brushed against his skin briefly, but she could feel that he was pretty warm. The fever was still present.

As April let go of the blanket, Mikey must have sensed the motion because he started to stir. He shifted slightly, and opened his eyes, obviously still groggy from sleeping for so long. His eyes roamed up to April standing next to the bed, and then suddenly he flinched. He gasped, but it sounded like he wanted to scream.

"Whoa, Mikey," April said to him softly. "I'm sorry. You're okay."

Realization crossed his face. He sighed, "April, geez you scared me."

"Again, sorry. I was just checking in on you. Donnie told me you weren't feeling too good," she held up her backpack. "So I brought you something."

He perked up a little at that promise of gifts. "What'd you bring?"

April placed the backpack on the edge of the bed and unzipped it. Reaching inside she pulled out a stack of comics. "Some new comics for starters. Figured if you have to stay in bed, you might like these. But I also brought some crackers and ginger-ale, which I'm sure you're not as interested in."

"Yes to the comics, and no to the rest," the thought of even having a bite to eat made his stomach swirl. "Thanks for all this stuff though, April."

Mikey moved to sit more upright in bed, but stopped mid-movement. He quickly closed his eyes, and April could see the distress across his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly. Moving closer, she placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

He took a deep breath. "Dizzy," he murmured.

April waited for Mikey to settle, knowing dizzy spells took a few minutes to subside. She debated on calling Donnie into the room to help out, but decided to wait a bit to see how Mikey felt. He sunk back down into the bed, all the color drained from his face, but he seemed calm enough to move his body again.

"That was one major head rush," he said to April. She removed her hand from his shoulder, but as she did Mikey yelped.

"Oh my gosh, sorry!" She said hastily and somewhat alarmed. April didn't do anything that should have harmed him. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged, "Your hand brushed against a nick I got last night. It's just sensitive, I guess. Didn't mean to scare you."

That sent up some definite red flags, and April moved closer. "Let me see it," she demanded. Serious concern started to buzz through her mind.

"It's not a big deal," Mikey said, trying to get her back down. "It was a small cut from a shuriken, and I cleaned it after we got home. It barely even bled."

April stared him down not letting him get off so easy. "If you want to keep those comics, you have to let me see that cut."

"That's playing dirty," Mikey whined, but he complied. Slowly, so he didn't bring back the dizziness, he rolled onto his left side so April could see the small wound.

Carefully, April put some weight on the mattress with her knee so she could move closer to Mikey. The cut was on the back of his right shoulder, and she instantly became worried. Though it was small, less than an inch long, and shallow, there was something obviously wrong. The skin around it had spider-web like marks spreading out in dark purple lines. It was a striking contrast to Mikey's green skin.

The mark was obviously tender to the touch since April had caused Mikey to cry out before. It startled her, because that was no ordinary cut. She pulled back, and stood up off the bed. April didn't want to frighten Mikey, but it looked extremely serious.

"What's the verdict, doc?" Mikey asked, trying to joke.

April tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make Mikey panic. "Um, it doesn't look deep or anything. You know, I'm not the best judge for this kind of stuff though. Let me go ask Don for an opinion, okay?"

"Why? If it's not so bad, then don't worry about," he said, stifling a yawn at the same time.

"Just to be extra sure. I'll pour you some ginger-ale, it can help with nausea sometimes," she was trying to distract him a bit, but it also gave her a reason to leave the room and go speak with Donnie.

"Okay," Mikey replied. "If it will make you feel better." He smiled at her, and burrowed a little deeper into the covers.

April snatched the two-liter bottle of soda from her backpack, and walked out of the room. She took a few steps, and then as quietly as possible picked up the pace. She ran into the lab, coming up behind Donnie who was measuring out some kind of liquid into the beakers on his table.

"Donnie," April called to him. He jumped, not expecting her voice, and almost dropped the beaker.

"April!" Donnie exclaimed. "You scared me."

"Seems I'm doing a good job of that today."

Donnie looked at her confused, but then noticed the ginger-ale in her hands. "You were with Mikey?"

"Yeah, I accidentally scared him too," she explained. "I think there's something wrong. You really need to check it out."

Donnie almost dropped his beaker a second time at the nervousness edging its way into April's voice. He placed the glass down carefully, and turned to face her completely. "What's the matter?"

She explained about touching him, the mark she found on the back of his shoulder, and how it was from a shuriken. Donnie's expression darkened as she spoke. April could practically see his mind working out the different scenarios and what could cause such a reaction.

"Sounds like poison," Donnie murmured. He began to move about the lab collecting various items into the red tool kit he used for medical situations. "I can't believe I didn't see anything sooner," he grumbled.

"It's not your fault. It's hard to see if you're not looking for it," April said. She didn't want Donnie blaming himself for something that wasn't even his fault to begin with.

Donnie finished collecting everything he needed, and quickly moved back to Mikey's room. April was right on his heels. When they walked through the doorway, they were greeted by the sight of Mikey sitting on the edge of the bed. Mikey was bent over, his head resting on his knees, and breathing oddly.

"Mikey!" Donnie almost shouted. He dropped his medical kit on the floor and ran over to his brother. "What's wrong?"

Mikey shook his head slightly, and after a few moments started to speak. "S-sorry, I'm okay. It felt like my heart was beating really fast all of a sudden, and then I felt like I couldn't breathe right," he took a deep shaky breath. "Still feels that way. I thought sitting up would help…or down, I guess."

Donnie bent down on one knee next to Mikey on the floor, and took his pulse. He counted out the beats he could feel thrumming underneath his fingers, and could feel that's Mikey's pulse was a little quicker than normal. Fortunately it was nothing to be concerned about _yet_, but it did worry Donnie some. Especially since he could still feel the feverish heat of Mikey's skin.

After a few seconds, Donnie stood back up. He looked over at April, both exchanging worried glances. As Donnie stood, he caught a glimpse of the mark April told him about. It was certainly alarming, and not a simple bruise from being knocked around. He had to do something before things escalated further.

"You feeling any better?" Donnie asked Mikey quietly.

"I think so," Mikey said, but he still sounded out of breath. "Stomach doesn't feel like it's doing back flips anymore. I just can't shake this feeling, bro. My heart feels like it wants to jump right out of my shell."

"Just take deep breaths, I'm sure it will pass," Donnie told him. "Now, do you think you can sit up against the headboard? I need to check that cut April saw."

Mikey hummed a response, and pushed himself slowly back onto the bed. Donnie went back over to April to grab his medical kit that he dropped. As he crouched down, April stopped him.

"Donnie, I think Mikey could be experiencing early stages of an anxiety attack," April kept her voice low.

"What makes you think that?"

"I used to get them from time to time. And when I did I felt like I couldn't breathe and my heart was racing. All I'm saying is be careful, and be gentle."

Donnie retrieved his kit, "I'll do my best," he gave her a small smile. And shifted back over to Mikey to examine the wound on his shoulder.

"Dude," Mikey moaned. "Feels like I got sucked into a whirlpool."

"You're that dizzy?" Donnie questioned. He placed the red box on the small nightstand next to the bed and opened it up.

"Mm-hm," Mikey mumbled. "I want off this ride."

"I'm working on it," Donnie told him. "I just want to take a quick look at the mark on your shoulder."

Donnie gently put his hand on Mikey's arm. Mikey had kept his eyes shut the whole time in attempt to stave off the vertigo that was currently plaguing him. Gently, Donnie moved him forward just a bit, so that there was enough light to see the mark. Donatello had seen it once briefly, but now that he could see it without interruption, it troubled him deeply.

The cut he could see was shallow, and small. But the skin around it was inflamed, looked raw and sensitive to the touch. The spider web-like marks April described were dark purple bordering on black, and appeared to be spreading out from the cut. It certainly was not a normal infection, but discerning the type of poison that was used, if it was poison at all, was going to be difficult. He would need to analyze a blood sample in order to do anything more to help.

Donnie leaned Mikey back against the headboard once more. And turned to April with a frown, but signaled for her to come closer.

She came up beside him, and he leaned in to whisper. "I need to draw some blood, but that's probably gonna lose it. Do you think you could hold onto him, or try to distract him somehow?"

"I'll try," April replied. "But you could just tell him; he's out of it anyway."

Donnie reached into his kit to get a syringe. He didn't want to have to take blood, but it was going to be the only way to fully determine what was ailing his little brother.

Donnie took a cotton ball and wet it with rubbing alcohol. He swiped it along the crook of Mikey's arm. The cool feeling roused Mikey's attention, and he opened his eyes to look at Donnie.

Immediately he saw the needle. His eyes went wide, and he paled considerably. Both Donatello and April could see his distress.

"Mikey, don't freak out," Donnie started.

"What are you going to do with that?" Mikey's voice trembled with panic.

April stepped in, hoping to calm him down. Taking his other hand to reassure him. "You're sick, and Donnie just wants to do what's best for you. If he takes a small sample, he can look at it and find out why you're ill."

"Small sample?" Mikey squeaked. He looked like he was ready to jump from the bed. "Of..of blood?"

Donnie nodded, and tried to smile encouragingly. "That's right. I promise I won't hurt you. It's just a small pinch, all right?"

Mikey could only shake his head. April tried to draw his attention as Donnie moved to draw blood. But Mikey's eyes were fixated to the small syringe, and to him in that moment it could have been as large as a dagger.

The moment slowed. He could feel his heartbeat pound harder. Just as the point of the needle's cold tip touched his skin, he shrieked. A sound so high and loud, it seemed like it came from somewhere else.

Mikey bolted from the room as fast as his legs would carry him, leaving both April and Donnie dumbfounded in his wake. The echo of his scream still reverberating off the walls.

* * *

_Okay, so just one thing about the mention of anxiety attacks. I just used descriptions of my own experiences, and applied it to the story. I always feel short of breath when I'm experiencing anxiety. Also with this illness, some of it is based off of a stomach bug I got over Christmas. Not fun, but I guess it helps with story writing. _

_Anyway, thanks so much for all the follows/favorites/reviews so far. Keep 'em coming, and enjoy this chapter!_


	3. Chapter 3

Donnie and April sprinted out of Mikey's room to chase after him. Fortunately they didn't have to go too far. Mikey was down at the end of the hall, almost to the main room of the lair. He was sitting on the ground. His head was resting on his knees and he wrapped his arms around his legs.

As Donnie and April got closer they could hear that he was crying. Within seconds Master Splinter, Leo, and Raph came running to them as well, panic-stricken from the screams they heard. They stopped abruptly to take in the scene, each of them giving questioning looks to Donnie and April.

"What has happened?" Master Splinter asked. He moved closer to Mikey and kneeled down next to him, checking him over for any obvious injuries.

"I'm sorry. It was my fault…sort of," Donnie tried to explain quickly. "I needed a blood sample, and Mikey got a little… scared."

"A little?" Raph retorted. "He screamed bloody murder!"

"You just needed a sample, though? I thought Mikey was okay with needles." Leo said confused. "I mean I've never seen him upset over them before."

Mikey was still sobbing, but he looked up at them shaking his head. He wiped his eyes, and looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't get himself to stop crying. They waited patiently for a few moments, as his crying subsided into small hiccups.

"I'm sorry," Mikey said quietly. "I-I don't know what happened. You had that needle, and then every muscle in body was screaming to run. It was like you had a dagger instead of a syringe." He wiped at his eyes and looked to Donnie. "But I'm not afraid, okay? I-I won't run this time."

Mikey held out his arm to Donnie. "You can get that sample. I won't run or scream this time…I think."

"All right, if you're sure," Donnie bent down on one knee next to Mikey. "Just look at someone else. It'll only take a moment."

"Mikey, what's going on? I mean that's unusual, even for you," Raph asked, pulling Mikey's attention away from Donnie for the moment.

He shook his head slightly. "I don't know. I'm on edge all of a sudden. Sick this morning, dizzy when I woke up, actually I'm still pretty dizzy, and then I just freaked out about that needle. I can't explain it, bro. It's just everything's…off. I'm all shaky."

Splinter intervened at that moment, still crouched down next to his son. "Michelangelo, you have nothing to fear from that needle, nor from your brother. You realize that, right?"

"Hai, Sensei." Mikey responded.

"Then perhaps you should meditate for a few minutes, and let Donatello do what he must."

"All right," Mikey closed his eyes. And started taking deep breaths, using the methods Master Splinter showed him on the best ways to meditate. It worked easily enough, and with his eyes closed everything seemed to settle around him for the moment. He didn't feel the need to run, or the panicky feeling that started to make his heart flutter uncomfortably.

"Done," Donnie announced as he was placing a small band-aid over the spot where he had injected the needle. "That wasn't so bad, right?"

"Nope," Mikey replied. "I think I'm good now."

Donnie placed the sample out of sight in his medical kit, and then retrieved some pills. He handed them to Mikey. "I can tell you still have a fever. Take these."

Mikey took the pills and swallowed them. Then he attempted to push himself up off the floor, but his elbows buckled. He slumped back against the wall, but Master Splinter caught him. Raph came over and gave him a hand. He hoisted Mikey up, and kept a supportive arm around him since Mikey was a bit unstable.

"Dude, I feel like Jello," Mikey joked.

"You're definitely the right color to be Jello," Raph smiled. He started leading Mikey back towards his bedroom. "But you should be in bed."

"Ooh, that's a good idea," Mikey mumbled and swayed as Raph steered him away.

After they were out of ear-shot, Donnie motioned everyone toward the kitchen. "I gave him a light sedative, if you were wondering. I'm worried that if he gets too worked up, it could have some…negative side effects."

"And why would you come to that conclusion?" Master Splinter asked curiously.

Raph entered the kitchen just then, so Donnie continued to speak. "I found evidence that Mikey's illness is not natural. I took some blood because it appears that he could have been poisoned."

"Poisoned!" Raph and Leo almost shouted in unison. Donnie quickly shushed them. He didn't want Mikey to overhear.

Master Splinter looked worried as he spoke. "How did this occur?"

Donnie gestured to April, "April found a spot on the back of Mikey's shoulder earlier. It's definitely worrisome. It looks like a bruise but it's nearly black, and it spread out across the skin leaving a web-like mark. He said the got a small cut from a shuriken with our fight with the Purple Dragons last night."

"And that small cut was enough to poison him?" Raph asked, anger edging his voice.

Donnie nodded. "It appears so. I'll know more when I can analyze what it is exactly. And then I can manufacture an antidote…hopefully."

"I have faith that you will do your best to help your brother," Master Splinter tried to reassure Donnie.

"Thanks, uh… I have a lot of work to do. I'll be in my lab," Donnie gave a short bow and gathered his stuff. He quickly left the room.

Master Splinter looked after him. "While Donatello is working, keep an eye on Michelangelo. This is not a situation that should be taken lightly."

"Hai, Sensei," everyone else responded. Master Splinter then excused himself to the dojo.

The three remaining in the kitchen just looked at each other without saying a word. Neither of them really knew what to do next. The situation was so sudden, it was a little difficult for them all to take in the severity of what was happening.

After a few quiet minutes, April was the first to break the silence that had enveloped the room. "I'll go see if I can help Donnie out at all. Are you two going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine," Leo answered.

April gave him a small smile, and left the kitchen.

"All we can do is be patient," Leo told Raph, who had taken to glaring at the top of the kitchen island.

Raph slammed his fist down onto the countertop. "I can't believe those Purple Dragon idiots are behind this. They are so going to pay! How are you not upset right now?"

"I am upset, Raph," Leo said with a sigh. "But revenge is going to have to wait. Let's take care of Mikey first, then we can get those punks back _after_ he's okay."

"Fine," Raph grumbled. He stormed out of the kitchen, Leo followed after him.

The only thing they could do now was wait for Donnie to report back to them on what he had found. But waiting was the hardest thing to do. After a quick glimpse into Mikey's room, Leo and Raph went into the sitting room and turned on the television. At least they could pretend that their minds were occupied by something other than complete worry.

Meanwhile, Donnie was working hard in his lab. He was constantly switching between his desk and lab tables. His rolling chair rattled as the wheels glided over the concrete floor. April sat patiently in the corner, out of Donnie's way, but was there if he asked for something.

Donnie grumbled to himself occasionally, while writing down equations and notes on scraps of paper. Two hours passed by when he finally shouted, "got it!" which startled April from her perch on a nearby table.

"What is it?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, it's complicated. I've seen this poison before, or I should say venom. It's extremely similar to when Fishface bit Raph, but there seems to be some kind of genetic modification that slows down the effects of the venom," Donnie explained.

"That's good, right?" April got a bad feeling though that it wasn't going to be an easy fix.

"Well, the effects are slower, but the damage it can do is more significant. It has hallucinogenic properties in it that are much stronger than the original venom. Eventually it can cause Mikey's heart to experience tachycardia," Donnie got up quickly from his desk and walked over to a storage cabinet. He started looking through it hastily, grabbing different vials. "If it progresses he could go into cardiac arrest."

"Seriously!" April gasped. It was more serious than she wanted to hear.

Donnie just nodded, becoming sidetracked in his work. He was trying to move as fast as he could without making any mistakes.

April took a deep breath. She didn't expect Mikey's illness, turned poisoning, to end up so bad. Obviously it was bad, but the new revelations were worse than she could have imagined. April headed for the living room. She wanted to fill the guys in on what Donnie discovered, and then check in on Mikey.

But as she walked into the living room, she was greeted by a startling sight. Leo and Raph were sprawled across the floor, their weapons scattered about, out of reach. April ran to Leo, since he was closest, and shook his shoulder.

"Leo! Get up!" She called to him frantically.

He groaned and opened his eyes. "April?"

"What happened?" She demanded, and a little surprised she didn't hear anything from the lab.

"Mikey," Leo said sitting up. "He attacked us out of nowhere. It was like he didn't recognize us. He took down Raph first and then got me, but I saw him run off into the sewers before I lost consciousness."

April pulled Leo to his feet, and then moved over to Raph who was already starting to stir. "We need to find Mikey now! He's in danger."

* * *

**I'm sorry this took a little while to update. I took some liberties with the medical information Donnie was spewing. Tachycardia is a real thing, which means rapid heartbeats. So please let me know what you think! I should have the next chapter up soon! **

**As always the reviews for the past chapter were fabulous! I love you guys!**


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